Dzur Read online

  I heard myself say, “Drop it,” which was when I realized he was holding a dagger.

  He didn’t hesitate; he just dropped it.

  Lady Teldra, sweet and firm in my hand, had gotten a little shorter and a lot wider—a throat-cutting weapon. Perfect for the occasion. What a coincidence.

  I said, “If I get so much as a hint that either one of you are attempting psychic contact, I will have your souls.”

  I had to admire Vaasci; there wasn’t even a flicker. His friend moaned, but that was because of the steel sticking out of him. I spared him a glance and said, “You’ll live.”

  He started to say something, but coughed, and there was a trickle of reddish foam around his lips. I might have been wrong. “Loiosh—”

  “Be right there, Boss. You okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Okay,” I told Vaasci. “Now, we need to talk. I’m—”

  “I know who you are.”

  “Good. That saves time.”

  Loiosh flew into the room and landed on my right shoulder. Rocza took up a position on my left.

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I felt something. I couldn’t pay attention, but you were—”

  “Don’t worry about it, Boss.”

  I studied Vaasci in silence while I thought things over. “Got caught in the curtain, didn’t you?”

  “Shut up, Boss.”

  “Watch them close, Loiosh. I need to know if either one attempts psychic contact.”

  “I’m on it.”

  “There aren’t any curtains in the way.”

  “Shut up, Boss.”

  “Okay, m’lord Vaasci. We have a problem, you and I.”

  He glowered. Or maybe glared. I’ve never been too sure of the difference.

  “I admire your cleverness,” I said. “It was a nice move. But I can’t let it happen. Personal reasons.”

  “You are so dead, Taltos, that it’s hardly worth talking to you.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. But there are things I can do before I lie down. And you probably don’t want me doing them on you.”

  “Okay. Keep talking.”

  “That was my plan.”

  I cleared my throat.

  “Like I said, the operation is over. You are out of South Adri­lankha as of now. I know who you’re working for, by the way, and he doesn’t scare me. Not much scares me at this point, since, as you said, I’m pretty much dead already.”

  “What aren’t you telling me, and get on with it.”

  “You’ve got nerve, Lord Vaasci, I’ll give you that.”

  “Spare me the compliments, dead man.”

  For just a second, I wanted to shove the blade home. But I didn’t do it, and he knew I wouldn’t do it, so—“You tell your boss that ... no. Tell your boss to tell his boss that South Adrilankha is off limits. For you, and for the Left Hand. All Jhereg operations here are off. Whatever the Easterners want to do here, they do.”

  “Right, Taltos. And he’ll listen because you said so.”

  “No, he’ll listen because I’m very persuasive, and because it’ll be much cheaper to leave it alone.”

  “And you’re going to convince him of that.”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, I’ll pass the word on.”

  “Meantime, you get out of here. If I see you on this side of the river again, I don’t have to explain what will happen, do I?”

  His eyes never left mine. “No, I think I’m clear enough on that.”

  “Okay. Take care of your associate. He looks uncomfortable.” I turned my back on him and walked out. Smooth.

  “Loiosh?”

  “They aren’t moving.”

  “Okay, I’m clear. Come on out. Careful of the curtain.”

  I walked through the room. The host glanced at me then quickly looked away. Two or three patrons were carefully not look­ing in my direction either. It was just like after an assassination, except that it had taken longer, and no one had died. Well, unless Vaasci’s friend succumbed to the dagger I’d left in him.

  I was shaking just a little when I got onto the street. Loiosh and Rocza flew through the broken window and joined me. I felt bad about the window.

  We moved quickly back east. Loiosh said, “We survived.”

  “Yes. Were you worried?”

  “Me? Of course not, Boss.”

  “I was. That was a risky move.”

  “Well, I admit if there had happened to be a couple more there, it could have gotten interesting.”

  I made it back to Six Corners, and found the pieces of Sandor right where I’d left them. Loiosh assured me that no one was around, so I put them on once more, not without a certain regret mixed with the sense of relief.

  Okay, I had certainly opened the dam; now I got to see whose fields got flooded. 13. Descani Wine (Continued)

  If you follow your waiter’s recommendation, which I almost always do at Valabar’s, the wine that goes with the salad is also the wine that ac-companies the fowl. I don’t actually know the reason for that, though I could speculate that it has to do with transitions.

  Transitions are important in a good meal, whether the next flavor has only the most subtle differences from the previous, like between the fish and the goslingroot, where the butter and the lemon defined the fla­vor, or drastic differences, like between the salad and the chicken.

  In this case, it was the wine that provided continuity, and reminded my mouth that, however much things changed, and however one moment was completely unlike the one that preceded it, they were both still mo­ments in an endless stream, the product of all that has gone before, and the producer of what will follow; the lingering chill of the wine, now partaking of the fullness of a red, now of the elegance of a white, making us step back a bit from the irresistible now of the chicken, and declaring an eternal context of life, or meal.

  Yeah, if you haven’t figured it out yet, food makes me philosophical. Poetic, too. Deal with it.

  But there’s a point I want to make: The wine that you drink with the salad is different from the wine that you drink with the fowl. They are the same, but what is happening in your palate is so different that the wine is different too. Like when you greet a particular gentleman with the same words and in the same tone the day before and the day after you’ve agreed to put a shine on him; the context changes the significance of the greeting.

  The difference in the food made it different wine; it changed everything.

  “This is some good stuff,” said Telnan.

  He’s not as poetic as me.

  The lack of a course is a course, just like the spaces between the notes are part of the music. Actually, I wouldn’t know about that last part; it’s something Aibynn told me. But I can testify that it’s true of a good meal.

  After the fowl, you know what is coming next, because it is the thing that you actually ordered—half a lifetime ago, it seems. Your order has been sitting in the back of the mind for the entire meal. Every sip, every morsel has been a delight in itself, and, at the same time, a preparation for what is next.

  And so, of course, Valabar’s makes you wait for it while you drink the wine that went with the fowl.

  They clear off the table, leaving you half a bottle of wine and your glasses. Then they come by and give you a whole new setting. I can’t think of any reason for them to do that unless they are deliberately delaying, building the tension. If that is the reason, I can only say it works. New plates, new flatware, new wineglasses. The sound—soft but unmistakable—of each item set on the table was like music. Or, I imagine, what music would be like to those who felt about music the way I feel about food.

  “What comes next?” said Telnan.

  “What you ordered.”

  “Oh.”

  He frowned. “I don’t remember what I ordered anymore.”

  “Then you get the pleasure of being surprised.”

  He nodded. “That works.” />
  “You pretty much take what comes, don’t you.”

  “Doesn’t everyone?”

  “Not the way I mean it?”

  “Uh. I guess I do?”

  “Is that a Dzur trait, or is that just you?”

  He blinked. I don’t think he knew how to answer that. He eventu­ally settled for, “Why do you want to know?”

  “Good question. I’m not sure.”

  “You’re trying to figure out what it means to be a Dzurlord, aren’t you?”

  “I guess maybe I am.”

  Why?

  “Telnan—”

  “Hmmm?”

  “Are you trying to figure out what it means to be a, well, a me?”

  “Sure.”

  “Why?”

  “Fair is fair.”

  “Oh. All right.”

  “I wish the food would arrive.”

  “Enjoy the anticipation, my friend.”

  “My favorite part of anticipation is when it’s done, and the action starts.”

  “Ah ha.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Just made a discovery about Dzur?”

  “Oh. You still haven’t told me why you care.”

  “Because I don’t believe you guys.”

  “Beg pardon?”

  “You could say that Dragaerans have been a sort of study of mine all my life.”

  “Why?”

  “Necessity. Survival?”

  “Okay.”

  “And I can make sense of most Dragaerans, but not Dzur. You seek out situations that I work as hard as I can to avoid. I can’t make sense of it.”

  “Oh.”

  “Answer your question?”

  “I guess. But—”

  “Yeah?”

  “I wish the food would get here. I like it when the action starts.”

  “All right, Loiosh. Ready for another long walk?”

  “We’ll fly, if it’s all the same to you. Where are we going?”

  “Back to the City.”

  “Oh. Is it time for that errand?”

  “Past time, I think.”

  “And who’s going? You, or Sandor?”

  “Sandor. I don’t think I’d make it.”

  “That’s just what I was thinking.”

  We took the Stone Bridge across the river, which added sev­eral hours to the walk; but it wasn’t like I had anything else to do. The day was chilly and the breeze stung a little, but I enjoyed walking in my new boots. When I’d left town before, with the Jhereg after me and my life in a shambles, I should have taken the time to get new boots. But now things were different. Now my life was in shambles and the Jhereg was after me.

  Yeah.

  I did get a few glances from travelers on the Stone Bridge, but I kept my eyes lowered and nothing happened. The Stone Bridge, I’ve been told, is the oldest of the bridges connecting the two parts of the City. It is certainly the narrowest, and, these days, the least used. I don’t know why it was put where it was, unless both parts of the City grew in different directions than anticipated.

  Which doesn’t make sense—you’d think that, once the bridge was up, it would determine how the City grew. But that was a long time ago, and just goes on the list of things I don’t understand.

  The bridge has always felt solid, though; what more can one ask?

  I took a wide detour around the Imperial Palace—or, more precisely, the Jhereg Wing—in part because of what Kiera had said. I am not entirely free of superstition. Loiosh was merciful, and didn’t make any remarks about it.

  It was getting on toward evening when I struck Lower Kieron Road and my old neighborhood. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I could feel Loiosh become even more alert. I kept wanting to rest my hand on Lady Teldra’s hilt, but managed to restrain myself.

  It was even hard not to stop outside of my old office and stare at it for a while. Again, I resisted. I went straight in; a harmless Easterner who couldn’t threaten a norska, that was me. Or, rather, Sandor.

  I think after about two months of being Sandor I’d have to cut my throat.

  The proprietor of the herb shop politely asked me if I wished assistance. This was gratifying; evidently working for an East­erner for several years had left its mark. I gave him a big smile.

  “I’m looking for a gift for my uncle,” I said.

  He didn’t respond at once; I suppose that wasn’t all that un­common a phrase. He said, “What sort of herbs does he usually consume?”

  I cleared my throat. “I’m looking for a gift for my uncle,” I said again, very carefully.

  “Oh!” He stared at me, but even looking couldn’t see through the disguise. Which was odd; it wasn’t much of a disguise. He said, “What sort of gift did you have in mind?”

  “Anything you sell will be perfect.”

  He nodded, gave me a funny look, and said, “We haven’t used that code in three years.”

  “Oh,” I said. “Sorry. What’s the—no, never mind. Excuse me.”

  He nodded, and I went past him into the next room.

  The Shereba game was going, and I could swear the same stumps were in the same chairs in the same positions with the same piles of coins stacked the same way as the last time I’d been in there. If I’d looked at their faces, no doubt I’d have seen a differ­ence, but it wasn’t worth it. The muscle-on-duty gave me a glance. I differentially pointed at the far door, and gave a sort of bob of my head. He nodded, and I passed through to the stairway.

  A Jhereg I didn’t recognize was leaning against the wall at the top of the stairs. I stopped halfway up and said, “Is Kragar in?”

  “I think so,” he said. “Who should I say—”

  “Tell him someone is here with a message from Kiera the Thief.”

  His eyes widened a little, and I think I gained some respect. His face went blank for a moment, then he said, “Bide.” I nodded.

  A moment later he said, “Okay, go on up.”

  I climbed the familiar stairs, and it occurred to me that this place, that had once been my office, might be the only establish­ment in the Empire where an Easterner could expect to be treated politely. As a legacy, I could do worse.

  I didn’t recognize the fellow sitting behind what had been Melestav’s desk before Melestav had succumbed to temptation. He nodded to me, and said, “It’s that door. Go right in.”

  Yeah, I knew that door. It had been my door. I felt about a half a second of irritation at Kragar for taking my office, then realized how absurd it was. I was looking very carefully when I entered, and there he was, seated at the desk, looking at me with his general-purpose smirk, as opposed to his smirk of recognition.

  “I’m Kragar,” he said. “Sit down. You have a message from—”

  “Yeah, I lied about that part,” I said. “Mind if I shut the door?”

  “Vlad!”

  I took that as a yes and shut the door.

  He said, “What are you—”

  “Mind opening the window, Kragar?”

  “Why? Oh.”

  He opened the window. Loiosh and Rocza flew in the window and took positions on my shoulders. Loiosh hissed a greeting at Kragar, who shut the window behind them.

  “Okay, Vlad. Now. What are—?”

  “You,” I interrupted, “are just about the sneakiest son-of-a-bitch I know.”

  “Huh? What did I do now?”

  “It’s what you’ve been doing for years, and never told me about.”

  “Uh ... Vlad, I’m not sure—”

  “Tell the proprietor his shipment is ready, and he might need more space to store it all.”

  Kragar’s jaw dropped, which provided me a measure of satis­faction.

  “How did you ... I don’t know which question to ask first.”

  I nodded. “My life is often like that.”

  “Vlad—”

  “Okay, we can get to your questions in a bit. But first, you have a job to do.”

  “A what?”

&nb
sp; “A commission to fulfill.”

  “What commission?”

  “Tell the proprietor—”

  “You mean, you’re serious about that?”

  “What would make you think I’m joking?”

  After a while, he said, “Umm, all right. You’re serious. I need to—Verra’s tits, Vlad! You just come in here and ... all right. Do you have a name?”

  “Sandor.”

  “Okay, where do I find this Sandor?”

  “No, no. That’s my name. While I’m in disguise.”

  “Is that a disguise? I thought you’d just changed the cut of your clothes.”

  “Shut up,” I suggested.

  “Nice beret, though. It suits you.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Okay, well, good, now I know what to call you while you aren’t answering my question.”

  “You mean the name of the target.”

  “Yeah, that would be helpful.”

  “It’s a sorceress named Crithnak. Left Hand.”

  “Okay. Any other information?”

  “Her sister is dead.”

  “Okay. Is that important?”

  “I doubt it.”

  “What else?”

  “She’s very good. She managed to find me when she shouldn’t have been able to.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be terrified. What else?”

  “How long have you been his contact, Kragar?”

  “About, uh, ninety years, I guess.”

  “How did you meet him?”

  “A mutual friend introduced us.”

  “A friend? I didn’t think Aliera even liked you.”

  He chuckled. “One for you, Vlad.”

  “Kragar, didn’t you once tell me, in so many words, that you didn’t know how to get hold of Mario?”

  “Uh, I don’t think I ever said that. I may have implied it pretty strongly.”

  “Heh.”

  “But I also asked him if he wanted to get involved that time. He didn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “I didn’t think to ask him. I usually don’t.”

  “Okay.”

  He nodded. “Wait here. I have an errand to run.”

  “Yep.”

  I sat back to wait.

  “You think he’s doing it, Boss?”

  “You mean, as opposed to running off to arrange to get the bounty on my head?”